Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Atiqul Islam has said the capital's Gabtoli cattle market will be made a "digital haat". He said this at an experience-sharing event titled "Smart Bangladesh, Smart Haat" at the DNCC's Nagar Bhaban in Gulshan on Wednesday, 3 August.

He said Gabtoli is a permanent DNCC cattle market where animals are bought and sold all year round, with traders bringing animals from all over the country, so "we want to make this market smart". During the last Eid-ul-Azha, digital payment booths were set up at the Mohammadpur (Bosila), Aftabnagar, Bhatara, Kawla, Uttara Sector 17 and Gabtoli cattle markets by the DSCC, according to the report, to ensure safe and easy transactions.

At these markets, buyers were able to withdraw cash from ATMs with debit and credit cards to pay sellers for animals. Buyers also paid through bKash and Islami Bank mCash. The experience-sharing event was organised on these matters.

The DNCC mayor said: "A smart haat is a smart movement. If we can build a cash-free society, many hassles will be reduced. That is what is happening in the developed world." This time Tk 33 crore changed hands at those six cattle markets, and buyers and sellers were all able to carry money safely, he said.

Atiqul Islam also said parking spaces for 500 private cars would be created in Gulshan-Banani on a trial basis. No road in the DNCC area has been leased for car parking, and many people park wherever they like, causing disorder on the roads. To solve this, parking for 500 cars will be set up in Gulshan-Banani, run by a leaseholder who will charge a fixed fee per car. If it succeeds, parking will later be introduced in other areas, he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.